A simple model for predicting snow albedo decay using observations from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow-Albedo (CoCoRAHS-Albedo) Network

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors

Tristan O. Amaral, University of New Hampshire - Main CampusFollow
Cameron P. Wake, University of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow
Jack E. Dibb, University of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow
Elizabeth Burakowski, University of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow
Mary L. Stampone, University of New Hampshire - Main CampusFollow

Abstract

The albedo of seasonal snow cover plays an important role in the global climate system due to its influence on Earth’s radiation budget and energy balance. Volunteer CoCoRaHS-Albedo observers collected 3,249 individual daily albedo, snow depth, and density measurements using standardized techniques at dozens of sites across New Hampshire, USA over four winter seasons. The data show that albedo increases rapidly with snow depth up to ~ 0.14 m. Multiple linear regression models using snowpack age, snow depth or density, and air temperature provide reasonable approximations of surface snow albedo during times of albedo decay. However, the linear models also reveal systematic biases that highlight an important non-linearity in snow albedo decay. Modeled albedo values are reasonably accurate within the range of 0.6 to 0.9, but exhibit a tendency to over-estimate lower albedo values and under-estimate higher albedo values. We hypothesize that rapid reduction in high albedo fresh snow results from a decrease in snow specific surface area, while during melt-events the presence of liquid water in the snowpack accelerates metamorphism and grain growth. We conclude that the CoCoRaHS-Albedo volunteer observer network provides useful snow albedo, depth, and density measurements and serves as an effective model for future measurement campaigns.

Department

Earth Systems Research Center; New Hampshire EPSCoR

Publication Date

2017

Journal Title

Journal of Glaciology

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Document Type

Article

Recommended Citation

Amaral, T., C. P. Wake, J. E. Dibb, E. A. Burakowski, and M. Stampone (2017), A simple model for predicting snow albedo decay using observations from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow-Albedo (CoCoRAHS-Albedo) Network, Journal of Glaciology.

Comments

Amaral, T., C. P. Wake, J. E. Dibb, E. A. Burakowski, and M. Stampone (2017), A simple model for predicting snow albedo decay using observations from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow-Albedo (CoCoRAHS-Albedo) Network, Journal of Glaciology. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Cambridge University Press. https://www.igsoc.org/journal/